Sisodia skips ACB summon in classroom construction scam

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia did not appear for questioning before the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Monday in connection with an alleged corruption case involving the construction of classrooms in government schools, official sources said.

Advertisement

“Due to a prior scheduled commitment, Manish Sisodia is not going to the ACB today. A response has been sent on behalf of his lawyer,” a senior AAP functionary.

The ACB had summoned both Sisodia and former Public Works Department (PWD) minister Satyendar Jain for questioning. While Jain complied with the summons and appeared before the agency on Friday, where he was questioned for more than five hours, Sisodia was expected to do so on Monday.

An official from the ACB said, “His lawyer informed us that Sisodia will not be able to attend today. He will be asked to appear again and a new notice will be served in to him in coming days.”

The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the construction of over 12,700 school classrooms across the city during their tenure in the AAP-led government.

An FIR was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code following complaints from BJP leaders Harish Khurana, Kapil Mishra and Neelkanth Bakshi.

The complainants accused the former ministers of overseeing construction projects at exorbitant costs — reportedly Rs 24.86 lakh per classroom — when similar structures could typically be built for around Rs 5 lakh in Delhi.

The ACB, based on the complaint, launched an investigation to examine the alleged conspiracy and determine the roles of the former ministers, government officials and associated contractors.

After a preliminary examination of the complaint, the ACB found a series of violations in the construction of classrooms, following which it approached the competent authority with a proposal to seek legal action against former AAP Ministers.

According to the officials, the ACB’s initial probe revealed that despite a 2015-16 finance committee decision capping costs and timelines, most projects saw major delays and cost overruns.

In several instances, the contract values escalated by 17 per cent to 90 per cent, with Rs 205.45 crore attributed to the use of richer construction specifications, bypassing the need for fresh tenders — an alleged violation of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) norms.

Notably, a report by the Chief Technical Examiner of the CVC — approved in February 2020 but allegedly withheld for three years — cited multiple violations of the CPWD and CVC guidelines. It also pointed out that the cost of constructing SPS classrooms was nearly equivalent to building permanent structures, defeating the stated purpose of cost efficiency.